Junjou Unrequited
by Miss Mysty
Summary: Shizuko Ishi realizes that, after so long, it's hard for Ijuuin to just let go of Misaki and the support he's given him. But as Ijuuin's sub-editor, he shouldn't be his last resort when things go wrong. And maybe he cares about him even more than the man realizes.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It was 2:30am when Shizuko's cell phone went off. He wasn't in Japun because it wasn't near the end of the cycle, and they didn't need him to camp out and be right there in case he had to rescue Ijuuin's pages from the clutches of their deranged author.

The person on the other end didn't even wait for him to say hello before starting in. "You need to go over to Ijuuin's and get his concept art for the color pages."

"…why?" Shizuko rolled over and stared at his alarm clock just to confirm the time. He'd been sleeping for maybe an hour. The concept art was supposed to have been faxed over to them after Shizuko left, because he was only Ijuuin's sub-editor and he had his own authors to deal with, one of whom insisted on talking about his stories over drinks. He claimed his best ideas came to him when he was drunk.

Kirishima didn't sound all that pleased, but then, you could never tell. His working tones usually consisted of "bored" and "what the hell did you just tell me?" "I just got a call from Ijuuin saying his fax is broken, and that if we don't get someone to go in and get the pages, we're not getting them." A long sigh. "And Takahashi isn't answering his phone."

Of course. Even as Ijuuin's sub-editor, Shizuko was the second choice when it came to him.

His boss wasn't even an option at this time of night. Shizuko wouldn't be surprised if Kirishima was laying in bed as he called him. He liked to use the excuse that he didn't want to leave his daughter alone at night, but it was common knowledge that there was someone else in that apartment he didn't want to abandon, too. And it wasn't the cat.

With a sigh, Shizuko was up and out of bed. He knew what he was signing up for when he agreed to be Ijuuin's sub-editor. As much as everyone in Marukawa seemed to love the author of Za Kan, they also knew how hard he was to work with. Even if they'd been working in Japun for years, most everyone was too emotional to put up with the constant breakdowns.

"I'll go," Shizuko said, and then he closed his cell phone without waiting for a response.

xxx

The lights were on in Ijuuin's apartment as Shizuko approached it. He was hesitant to ring the doorbell, mostly because he wasn't sure what he was going to see. Ijuuin was an unpredictable worker; he might be completely sane, or he might have slowly stripped off his clothes as he worked (it happened more often than one would think). Of course, that wasn't worse than the mental breakdowns he had at the end of the month, but it was still disconcerting to answer the door and find an unshaven man in his underwear.

Not that it had ever startled him visibly.

He was standing outside the door so long that Ijuuin finally seemed to have noticed him on his own, because Shizuko was soon faced with the author, looking haggard and tired and a little unwashed, but sane. He gave Shizuko a crescent of a smile, his lips tipping up like he was just who Ijuuin had been waiting for all his life. "Kiwi!" he said, stepping back and ushering him in. Shizuko frowned at the nickname but followed him. "I've got the pages right here, although I think I spilled some coffee on the last one."

Sure enough, as Shizuko went through the pages of concept frames, he saw a brown stain over one. To Ijuuin's credit, it looked like he'd tried to clean it, and then redraw the lines it had obscured.

"…it's fine." Shizuko turned away from him, ready to head back out and break into Marukawa so he wouldn't have to worry about the pages when he woke up in the morning. Before he could get back to the door, though, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Hm?"

"You're not even going to stop for tea?" Ijuuin grinned that crescent again, dappled with craters of peach fuzz. When he wasn't going insane, Ijuuin was a charmer. Or a creeper, if some of the stories were to be believed. Not that Shizuko cared about office gossip, unlike their equivalents over in Sapphire. "Come on, Kiwi, just one cup. My assistants left me about four hours ago. I'm lonely."

Lonely without a cute little newbie to chase after him and tell him how great his manga is, Shizuko was dying to say, but instead, he kept his mouth closed and nodded. One cup of tea wouldn't be so bad.

"What do you think, anyway?" Ijuuin asked from the kitchen as he put the water on to boil. Shizuko had to stare at him for a full minute before Ijuuin clarified with, "Of the pages, Kiwi. You're my editor just as much as Kirishima is. Your opinion matters."

"Oh." He stared vaguely down at his hands, where the coffee-stained final page was on top. When he lifted it, he frowned and put it aside, running his hands over the other five pages. They were sticky, and Shizuko wasn't sure if it was because he'd had the damp page on top, or because Ijuuin had lied to him about the extent of the damage. "I think some of these might need to be redrawn."

"Aw, don't be like that. Kirishima's seen worse." Ijuuin glanced in at him, tilting his head. It was true, Shizuko thought. And most of it had been from him. "One time," the man continued, moving to lean against the counter. "When Za Kan first started to really sell, some people came into Japun when we were doing pages in one of the meeting rooms. I started freaking out when they wanted my autograph, and while searching the table for one of my pens, I swiped the entire set right out the window. Pages were gone for." The tea kettle hissed, and he turned to pick it up.

Shizuko had heard this story before from Kirishima, but it had went that he went insane and did it on purpose just so he wouldn't have to work anymore. Judging on Ijuuin's attitude, he was more inclined to listen to Kirishima's side of the story.

He was staring at the pages in his hands again when Ijuuin approached him. The mug he held out had little kiwi slices all over it, and the crescent smile on Ijuuin's face told Shizuko that he was supposed to find it funny. He didn't.

"Thanks," he muttered, taking it without an eye twitch and sipping. Then he gently put the pages down and leaned over them, brushing some stray eraser shavings that had floated over from the rest of the desk. "I'll tell Kirishima-san to ignore the coffee stains. Unless you think you can work with it."

Ijuuin let out a loud laugh, one Shizuko knew the neighbors would be complaining about. "I told you, it's fine." He waved a hand. He didn't have a mug in either one, Shizuko noticed as he brought his eyes back up to Ijuuin's face. "You look tired, though. Didn't wake you with my demands, did I?"

There was a long pause, during which Shizuko considered all the things he could say. Finally, he shrugged. "Yes." What use was there in lying, anyway? It wasn't like he had reason to. "But it's fine."

"Go ahead and lay down, Kiwi." Ijuuin nodded towards a cot that he used in the depths of the month, for when he was too tired to make it to his bed. "I just need to shower and I'll be going to bed, too."

Ijuuin left him without another words, pulling his stained, white shirt off as he headed for the bathroom. Shizuko's eyes went down to his tea mug, a stain around the rim from the tea residue.

He put down the mug, with its half-finished drink, carefully placed the pages in his briefcase, and left.

xxx

"Ah, good morning, Ishi-san!" Takahashi Misaki was all smiles when they met in Japun around eleven AM. True to his thoughts, Shizuko had gone to Marukawa and immediately dropped off the pages. And then he'd passed out at his desk, greeting the janitor in the morning and assuring him that he hadn't slept there so early in the month. Kirishima hadn't been much longer getting in, always heading right over after his daughter went to school.

Shizuko frowned and pulled one of the sticky pages of Ijuuin's color concepts from his face, placing it back on the desk and pushing the pile away from himself. He squinted, realizing that he'd fallen asleep again. Maybe he should've taken Ijuuin up on his cot offer. At least he would've been able to wake up to someone he actually wanted to see.

"Morning," he muttered, his head bowed low and his bangs hiding his eyes. Takahashi seemed to take that as the signal to leave him alone because he scampered off without another word, talking to another editor about an errand he'd just gotten back from.

"Got 'em, huh?"

Well, Kirishima was better than Takahashi. Shizuko liked that kind, carefree smile of his better than the blinding one Takahashi showed in the office every morning.

"Yes. Here." He held up the pile. "Coffee stains. He said you wouldn't mind."

Kirishima had his own coffee right then, a can from one of the vending machines, and as he looked at the top page, he raised the can to his lips and arched an eyebrow. "'Give Kiwi a raise because he obviously needs it'?"

Shizuko frowned and took the pages, staring at them. In the corner was that little note, scrawled who-knew-when. It hadn't been there when he first glanced at the pages, and he'd been in a rush to leave Ijuuin's apartment so he hadn't looked at the pages again other than a cursory glance. He might've seen the text and assumed it was just a production note.

He let out a long sigh and stood up. "I'm going for lunch."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ijuuin woke up that morning, and the first thing he thought of was breakfast. Sometimes his assistants were with him in the morning, especially when it was close to the end of the cycle, but he'd never cared about making breakfast for them. Shizuko was another story, though he wasn't sure why. So as he scratched at his beard, deciding that he could wait to shave it until after they ate, he tried to do a mental evaluation of what he had in his fridge that would still be edible.

He didn't need to, though; when he went out into his living room, Shizuko wasn't on the futon. He also wasn't in the kitchen, and he certainly hadn't been there in bed with him. Not that that part surprised him; he would've been more surprised if Shizuko had been willing to share a bed, actually.

Not that he didn't have people who _would_ be willing.

His assistants would be back soon, and Ijuuin considered himself in a hall mirror as he headed back to the bathroom. He had at least changed into new clothes after his shower the previous night, but since he'd slept on his hair wet, it had dried at odd angles against his pillow. Not that anyone would comment about it. He knew very well that even when he was completely sane, people still thought he was eccentric.

Maybe he should've been more forceful when he told Shizuko to stay there with him. For all he knew, the kid had fallen asleep halfway to his apartment and was laying there on a sidewalk in the city, getting stepped on and who knew what else.

And who would know to save him but him? Without another thought to the otherwise, he wrote a quick note saying he had errands to run before heading out.

xxx

It was noon when Japun got a call from Ijuuin's studio/apartment. Takahashi was the one to pick it up, eating lunch on his feet; he was the closest to Kirishima's desk, since the man himself was taking his lunch somewhere else.

"What do you mean he's gone?"

Shizuko looked up from his work, his eyes blank. He didn't know who was calling since he hadn't answered, but the fact that Takahashi was panicking meant he was either so much more dedicated to his job, or a certain author was starting his Hell Week descent early. As Takahashi continued panicking over the phone, not even trying to come up with a solution, Shizuko sighed and picked up the phone. "This is Ishi. What's the problem?" He took a second to put his hand over the bottom of the phone and said, "Takahashi, take a break."

He at least hung up, but he was still hovering around the office like some kind of bee on crack, vibrating in his nerves and wringing his hands as he drifted from Kirishima's desk to Shizuko's and back. Shizuko couldn't tell if he was actually listening to the conversation or not.

"Ijuuin-sensei left a note saying he had errands, but he's been gone since this morning."

Any other person in the world, that would've been a good thing. It would mean they were out in the world, doing things normal people did. For Ijuuin, however, the fact that he went out without anyone with him probably meant he was lost in the middle of Tokyo, had been mugged, or both. Shizuko's blank look turned into a frown, and he stood, the landline still to his ear.

"I'll go look for him. You guys do what you can for the chapter on your own." Not that it was much; Kirishima had approved the color pages, but they still had to work with the rest of the manga, which meant they would probably end up changing between then and the final product. Still, it was better for him to go look for Ijuuin than them, mostly because he seemed to have a knack for finding him. He wasn't sure if it was luck, or he actively avoided his assistants when he wandered off. It very well could've been both.

As soon as Shizuko hung up, Takahashi jumped about a foot in the air and went to grab his bag. "Don't worry about it, Ishi-san; I'll go look for him." He was about halfway to the door when Shizuko reached him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Sub or not, I'm still his editor." His eyes were back to blank, and Takahashi jumped in surprise again when he looked back. He still wasn't used to Shizuko, it seemed, and no amount of respect for the man could cancel out fear for him. Shizuko pushed past him, and Takahashi was completely rigid as the man did so. "I'll go look for him. Let Kirishima-san know if he comes back before I do." For all he knew, Ijuuin would come waltzing in like Marukawa had been his destination the entire time.

Takahashi frowned and rubbed at his shoulder where Shizuko had brushed him like it had caused him immense pain. He looked torn, and probably was: Ijuuin Kyou was his favorite manga-ka, and he wanted to do everything he could to keep him safe and make sure he got his work done. On the other hand, Shizuko was right. And on that same hand, there would probably be a rather unpleasant evening ahead of him if certain people found out that he'd spent his work day looking for Ijuuin, and then was alone with him for however long it took to convince him to go home.

"Takahashi!" Someone called out from the depths of the office, and Takahashi spun around. "Get me some coffee, would ya?" About half the office agreed, and coins were tossed at him for the vending machine. He frowned and kneeled down to pick up the ones from the floor he hadn't caught, and when he had them all in his pocket and turned back around, Shizuko was gone.

xxx

He had his cell phone on him, so he was sure he'd get a call if Ijuuin showed up at Marukawa or went back to his apartment. He went to all the usual places he'd been found in the past, though, and nothing. Along with no phone call, he was actually starting to get worried.

Not that it showed on his face.

He'd been out for two hours, wandering the city and going on various train lines when he did finally get a call, but looking at his caller ID, it wasn't the office, Kirishima's phone, or the landline at Ijuuin's apartment. It was Ijuuin's cell phone, and Shizuko's frown was the only expression on his face as he answered it.

"Kiwi!" Ijuuin said before Shizuko could even say hello. "Where are you? I've been sitting outside your place for hours now."

"…I was at work." For any other person, it would've been an obvious answer. It was Friday, but it was still a work day. Of course he'd be at work. Then again, Ijuuin had a spontaneous schedule and had for years. He didn't have to have another job because he didn't need one; his manga sold more than enough for him to be comfortable in the lifestyle. Or as close to comfortable as you could call him.

Shizuko let out a long sigh as Ijuuin went on and on about worrying about him being passed-out somewhere between their apartments, something about getting stepped on and mugged and raped (all three at once?), and then he realized he was heading for the subway to go back home.

"Stay there," he said as he descended and got in line for a ticket. "I'll be there in about ten minutes." Lucky for him, the train he needed was already waiting for him.

It was, true to his word, exactly ten minutes when he got to his apartment building. Ijuuin was sitting there outside; he knew the key code, or at least he was supposed to in case he had to go see Shizuko. He knew the code to Kirishima's apartment building, too. But knowing him, he didn't actually know the numbers by heart and had a slip of paper he took whenever he needed them.

"Kiwi!" At least he looked excited to see him, scrambling up from his position and going to meet Shizuko while he was still there on the street, staring at him and trying to decide if he should be happy to see him or try to think of a punishment for wandering off. Not that Ijuuin would see any time spent together as a punishment; he seemed to enjoy Shizuko almost as much as he enjoyed Takahashi.

That made Shizuko frown, realizing that if Takahashi had been the one to go out and look for him, Ijuuin would probably have been even happier. Not that the kid needed to know where Shizuko lived, or why Ijuuin would be sitting outside his apartment building, looking like a hobo with his unshaven jaw and circles around his eyes. He had no idea how many hours of sleep Ijuuin had gotten over the night, but it didn't matter. It took him effort to _not_ look like that most days, especially when he was in direct sunlight.

"Sensei, you need to get back home and get to work," he said as Ijuuin smiled down at him. "Kirishima-san is going after you if you don't." He didn't know, but he was pretty sure the man would. He was laidback and treated his authors well, but Ijuuin pulled this kind of thing for no other reason than to get a reaction most times, and he was tired of it. If he weren't a big reason Japun was still a competitor with the shoujo department, he probably would've lost his freedom a long time ago.

Ijuuin looked mildly put-out that Shizuko wouldn't even say hello to him. "Can't we at least have lunch, Kiwi? I'm starving."

"I've already eaten." He started off, thankful that Ijuuin just followed him as he continued to complain instead of standing there like a child. "Besides, the sooner I can let the office know you're safe, the quicker Takahashi will stop freaking out."

That seemed to get him, and Ijuuin's lips tipped up in his crescent moon smile as he picked up his pace, finally catching up to Shizuko's side. "He's worried about me?"

"Everyone is." He shrugged, indifferent, as if he didn't know just how obsessed Ijuuin was with Takahashi Misaki. Everyone in Japun knew, in fact, and it was why Shizuko's job hadn't involved searching him out as much as it should have. Kirishima always sent Takahashi to look for him or after pages if he was around.

If he had any kind of ego, he knew it'd be crushed. And if he had any kind of courage, he would've approached Ijuuin by now and told him how he felt.

But it didn't matter.

"You can work in a conference room in Marukawa if you really want," he muttered, his voice low and barely audible above the various sounds of the crowd around them. "But please get back to work."

Ijuuin nodded, taking out his cell phone. Shizuko didn't pay attention to him, but guessed he was calling his assistants so they'd know to go to the publisher's office. As much as he hated it, he was glad that Takahashi was there. At least it was a guaranteed way to get Ijuuin working. Even if it did hurt his mostly nonexistent ego that he wasn't that reason, and probably never would be.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Papa!"

It had been a few months since Kirishima Hiyori showed up in Japun. It seemed that as she grew up, she wanted to spend more time with her friends and less time with her father. Kirishima wouldn't admit to it around his underlings, but it was obvious that he missed having her trail after him with an admiring look on her face.

Shizuko had to step out of the way as she came storming through the hall. Ijuuin was in a conference room working again; it was the only way they could get him to keep at it, short of sending Takahashi to stay with him for the rest of the month. And even though he was the newbie, they needed all the help they could get. Sending someone just to hold one author's hand wasn't worth it, even if it was their best-selling author.

Ijuuin leaned out of the conference room, ignoring the pleadings of his assistants to keep working. "She's on a rampage, huh?"

"Dunno." Shizuko frowned and folded his arms. From what he knew, Hiyori was a mature girl, understanding of the fact that her father had to work and couldn't always be there for her when she needed something. For her to run in like this, the world must've been ending.

And it wasn't even Hell Week yet. Damn.

Shizuko was back at his desk by the time Kirishima stood from his own, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair and throwing it over his shoulder. Hiyori started after him, but Kirishima sighed and shook his head. "Hiyo, don't worry, alright? It's just a broken leg. I'll bring him home once they've done their thing and Yokozawa will be fine."

Hiyo pouted and folded her arms but didn't fight her father's decision. She did, however, have one comment for him before he left: "Keep your phone charged, Papa! I had to ride the train on my own!"

Not that she really minded it, but she knew it was something her father worried about even now. He only had one child to focus on, after all. If you didn't count Yokozawa.

Kirishima poked his head around the corner. "Ishi, take her home, would you? I don't need my daughter on the subway at rush hour again."

There was a ten second pause as Shizuko sat at his desk, trying to process the request. Kirishima didn't wait for him to accept, instead heading off. In that ten seconds, though, Ijuuin slipped into the office.

"Oh don't worry, Kiwi, I'll bring her," he said. Shizuko stared up at him. "What?"

"I'd trust her to get home on her own before I'd trust you to escort her," Shizuko muttered as he stood and grabbed his own jacket. "Come on, Hiyori-san. I'll buy you dinner on the way."

Hiyori seemed happy with the decision, at least, but she looked confused as Ijuuin slung an arm around her shoulders. "And I'll pay."

"Sensei, you need to work," Shizuko said, his voice sounding slightly more world-weary than usual.

"Aw, Kiwi, I've been working all day. I deserve a break."

"Yeah!" Hiyori said with a grin. "Papa says all work and no play makes someone really dull."

"…he says that about Yokozawa-san," Shizuko muttered, putting his arm in his jacket. He wasn't going to fight Ijuuin when he was determined to do something. Maybe he was a lot softer than he gave himself credit for.

xxx

Hiyori ran off as soon as they entered the restaurant; a group of her friends was over at a table in the back, and her instincts were, of course, to spend time with them instead of her father's coworkers. Ishi shook his head and proceeded towards the counter, but Ijuuin grabbed his arm and spun around, directing him towards the dining room. "Go get a table, Kiwi, I know what you like."

"If only you knew." Ishi rolled his eyes but went to get a table, his eyes sliding over to Hiyori as she talked to her friends. The girl bowed and turned, catching Shizuko's eye in time for him to sigh again and look out the window.

Hiyori sat down beside him a minute later, kicking her feet against the legs of the chair and folding her hands in her lap. "Papa hasn't called you, has he?"

"…no." Shizuko looked at her, unsure what to do. It was obvious Hiyori was worried about Yokozawa, but if it was anything serious, Kirishima probably would've been hysterical. The head editor of Japun was calm and collected in the worst-case scenario at his job, but threaten someone he cared about and you better hope you weren't in the line of fire. Awkwardly, Shizuko reached over and patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, Hiyori-san. Yokozawa-san will be fine. It's… just a broken leg, right?"

"Yeah, but he never gets hurt or sick or anything." Hiyori kicked her feet again, wringing her hands. Before she should say any more, though, Ijuuin dropped a tray down in the middle of the table. "…Ijuuin-sensei, I'm too old for a kid's meal."

"Well good, because this is for me!" Ijuuin grinned and took the colorful box, immediately tearing into it. He pulled the plastic-bagged toy out, and Shizuko immediately plucked it from his hands. "Come on, Kiwi."

"You get it after you eat," he muttered, pulling the tray towards himself and unwrapping his burger. When he glanced at Hiyori, he saw she was staring at him. "…what?"

Hiyori grinned and took her own meal, setting the soda down and unwrapping her burger so she could set her fries down on the wrapper. "You two act like Papa and Oniichan."

"…I'll take that as a compliment!" Ijuuin tossed a chicken nugget in the air and caught it in his mouth, chewing happily. "'S long as I get to be Kirishima. The Bear of Marukawa is much too tight-assed for me."

"Don't swear around children, sensei," Shizuko said, mostly sounding bored.

"It's fine, Ishi-san. Oniichan says a lot worse late at night."

"And I have a feeling I know why." Ijuuin wiggled his eyebrows.

Ishi frowned and picked up his straw, pealing the wrapper back and blowing the paper right into Ijuuin's face. "Could you shut up for once?"

"Shutting up!" Ijuuin still managed to grin, holding his hands up defensively as he sat back in his chair and started eating.

It was about halfway through the meal when Hiyori's cell phone went off. She put the fry she'd been about to eat down and pulled her phone out, glancing at the caller display. "Hi, Papa! Yeah, I'm still with Ishi-san. He got me supper." She glanced over at Shizuko at that, and then she smiled. "Alright. I'll tell him to bring me to the hospital. I told you Oniichan would want to see me!"

Ijuuin laughed at that, putting the last of his meal in its box and standing up. "Come on, Hiyo-chan. Kiwi. We'll go see if the old bear's recovering."

Shizuko didn't say a word.

xxx

Shizuko and Ijuuin stayed in the waiting room closest to the recovery room Yokozawa had been dropped in after the doctors had set his bone and drugged him up. Ijuuin had been ready to just march in, but Shizuko had a feeling that Yokozawa didn't need his blood pressure spiking right now. It wasn't just Japun editors who had problems with Ijuuin and his lack of deadlines, after all.

"Hey, Kiwi!" Ijuuin suddenly said. They were the only ones in the waiting room, and so Shizuko didn't even flinch at the stupid nickname. Not that he did anymore. "Feel like going on a cherry blossom picnic?"

"…right now?" Shizuko tilted his head. The cherry blossoms hadn't quite bloomed yet, but he wouldn't put it past Ijuuin to want to go on a picnic, especially if it meant delaying having to work even further.

Ijuuin rolled his eyes and leaned back in the formed-plastic chair. He'd dragged it over from a small table meant for children to use, Shizuko was sure, but Ijuuin had said it was more comfortable than the ones around the perimeter of the room. "No, not now. In a couple weeks, when I've finished the color pages and don't have to worry so much."

Shizuko glanced out into the hall as he thought, watching a doctor shoot by with about three children hanging off him and giggling. Then he sighed and rolled his eyes. Ijuuin had finished his storyboard earlier in the month than usual because of the extra work color pages would take, so if he could get him to finish early…

"Fine," he said, folding his arms and leaning back. "But only if you finish all your pages by then." Ijuuin started to protest, standing up from the kiddy chair, but Shizuko held a hand up. "It's all or nothing, sensei. We need your work done."

Ijuuin let out a long sigh as he stood up, stretching his legs one at a time, and then stretching his arms up into the air. "Fine, fine," he said, nodding. Just as he did, he glanced at the clock. "Well, time to get back to my assistants, I suppose. And Takahashi is likely missing me."

"Yeah, he must be disconsolate," Shizuko muttered as he grabbed his bag and followed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was raining the day Ijuuin was supposed to finish his pages. Shizuko had been at his desk in Japun when the call came, requesting that he come pick them up.

"Can't you just fax them over?" Shizuko muttered into the phone. It wasn't that he didn't want Kirishima or the others to hear; he was just in a bit of a mood, and sounding irritated was beyond him right then. Besides that, Kirishima was still Ijuuin's main editor, and yet more and more Shizuko was the one who had to chase after him and clean up after him. He supposed it was better than Ijuuin depending on Takahashi, who was still a newbie and didn't even sub-edit for anyone yet.

"Just go." Kirishima waved a hand as he sat back in his desk, tilting his can of coffee back to get the last few drops. "And go by the printers while you're out, would you? You're better at convincing them to wait."

They didn't seem to like his blank stare, it was true. Kirishima pulled the same one, though; he was found just staring off into space sometimes. Either his mind was blanker than people gave him credit for, or he saw dead people.

Shizuko glanced around the office as he got up and reached for his raincoat and umbrella. It was close to Japun's Hell Week and everyone was running around like their asses were on fire, but Takahashi wasn't anywhere in sight. This was a good thing, mostly because he always hung around Shizuko's desk when it came time to go over and convince Ijuuin to relinquish his pages, wringing his hands and averting his eyes like he wanted to ask Shizuko to marry him. It was obvious how much Takahashi admired Ijuuin, and Shizuko couldn't help the jealousy that built up in him every time he saw them together.

The rain pelted down on him as he left Marukawa. The cement had the damp smell of a storm already, and the crowd that usually passed by Marukawa was a sea of colors as they hid under their umbrellas and rain coats. Shizuko didn't put his on, slinging the plastic over his shoulder and simply opting for the umbrella for protection. His cell phone went off in his pocket, but when he saw it was Ijuuin, he frowned and just let it go to voice mail. He didn't feel like putting up with Ijuuin's excuses right now, especially since he was on his way to get the pages he'd been promised.

Not that he was looking forward to having a cherry blossom picnic with him or anything. Of course not.

His phone beeped, and when he pulled it out, he saw that Ijuuin had left a message. Shizuko rolled his eyes and listened. If he'd bothered to leave a message, he might as well listen to it, at least.

And that's how he ended up at the nearest supermarket, picking out food for Ijuuin's dinner. Because, apparently, he hadn't gone shopping, and today was the day he was going to care about his health and not just get something at a convenience store.

Shizuko was used to going to convenient stores to get what he needed; he couldn't remember the last time he had cause or time to go to a supermarket and just look around. He had written down exactly what Ijuuin needed so he could've just gotten it and left, but he was putting off going to see the man at this point. Originally he'd been raring to get over there and get it done, but his attitude had taken a dive since getting the call, and he wasn't sure why.

Although the fact that he encountered Takahashi Misaki in the produce section couldn't have helped it. He had been wondering why the newest member of Japun wasn't around, and apparently it was because the kid had to go grocery shopping. Because that was a great excuse to not be there so close to Hell Week.

Despite that he was pretty peeved about the entire thing, Shizuko probably would've let the whole thing go as more special treatment. Ijuuin loved Takahashi, after all, and the kid's connections went as high as Isaka Ryuuichirou, the president of the company. It wasn't fair, and was probably proof that nepotism was alive and well, but it was how things went in several kinds of businesses, not just publishing.

As he was considering a display of apples, though, he heard a voice he was only familiar with in the context of Marukawa parties. Usami Akihiko.

"Misakiiiiii," he was saying, his voice a strange combination between whiny and flirting. "We should get those little oranges."

"The little oranges are for children who won't eat them in their regular size.

Shizuko's head shot up and around, spotting Takahashi Misaki pushing a cart, Usami clinging to the end and his feet up on the bottom frame so he could ride it.

"This is the octopus wieners all over again, isn't it?" Takahashi continued, rolling his eyes as Usami put a bag of oranges in the cart, anyway. "I don't know why I bother arguing with you anymore."

"Me, neither. I always win."

Takahashi glared at him before turning his head, eyes landing right on Shizuko. It took about three seconds, but Takahashi jumped and shrieked like he thought he was going to be attacked.

"I-ishi-san!" he said, his entire body shivering. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"…just picking some things up before I go see Ijuuin-sensei," Shizuko said, his eyes lingering on Usami. "It's good to see you again, Usami-sensei." Especially with what he heard. Shizuko wasn't stupid, and it was easy enough to pick up on the dynamic these men had.

Takahashi let out a long breath when he saw Shizuko wasn't going to do or say anything, but before he pushed the cart along, Usami looking slightly less happy as he continued to cling to the end, he said, "Please don't tell anyone in Japun. I don't… need people thinking I got the job because Usagi-san said something…"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Shizuko said, turning away and looking at the apples again. He hoped that he turned away from them in time to hide the smile that was lingering on his lips now, because he really wouldn't want Takahashi thinking he was happy about anything that had to do with him. But if the kid was in a relationship, it meant that Ijuuin would have to give up eventually. Usami Akihiko put up a good face for the public, but he was known for being possessive towards things he likes or wants, and pretty harsh towards anyone who got in the way of him having those things. Or people, in this case.

Yes, Shizuko's day had just gotten a lot better.

xxx

"Kiwi!" Ijuuin said, grinning from ear to ear when he saw that it was Shizuko at the door. His assistants were in the background, some sitting at the long drawing table and others spread across the floor, looking like they'd just suffered some horrible tragedy. And considering Ijuuin had actually been a man of his word and gotten his pages in on the deadline. He wasn't sure what was worse on them: working hard enough to get everything in on time, or stressing when they were late.

He wasn't sure which was worse for him, either. He did a lot of threatening towards authors to get them to deliver their pages on time, and it probably wasn't great for his karma.

"Good afternoon, sensei," he said quietly, holding the bag of groceries up for Ijuuin to see. "I got what you wanted."

When the assistants realized that someone was there to get the pages, every single one, including the ones who'd been laying on the floor, immediately stampeded for the door. They were at least courteous enough to telling him to have a good day, but that was about it. He couldn't blame them. He knew from experience they were probably both starving and in need of showers. And possibly hadn't had sex in weeks.

Not that his own sex life was much better, if he had to admit it. He wouldn't be admitting that to the man before him, though.

"Come in, Kiwi. I'll make us dinner to celebrate." He waved for Shizuko to come in and had disappeared into the kitchen before Shizuko could protest. Or point out that it was four in the afternoon. Ijuuin's sense of time was probably thrown off from the monthly round of late nights, so he'd give him this one, at least.

"I saw someone at the store you know, by the way," Shizuko said as he slipped into one of the chairs at the kitchen table and watched Ijuuin move around the kitchen, trying to decide what he wanted to make for them. When he turned to look at him, Shizuko added, "The new worker at Japun…"

"Ah, Takahashi-kun." A grin spread over Ijuuin's face, one that Shizuko knew had never been directed at him.

"Yes. He was with Usami-sensei." He waited for Ijuuin to have some kind of reaction. When he didn't, Shizuko went on with, "I… didn't know they live together."

"I did." Ijuuin said it so casually as he finally pulled the package of noodles out of the bag and went to get a pot to boil them in. "They're lovers, right? It's how we met, kind of. He was in Marukawa with Usami one day and helped me out."

There was a long moment of silence as Shizuko tried to process all of this. Ijuuin knew about them so long and yet… he was still chasing after him, as if he thought he had a chance?

Finally a scowl spread over his face, and he stood up so fast that the chair he'd been sitting in toppled to the floor. Ijuuin turned to look at him, blinking in a confused sort of way. "I am so sick and tired of you being so fucking dense," Shizuko said, and he left the kitchen and slammed the front door behind him before Ijuuin could even ask what he'd done wrong.

Kirishima could go and get the pages. Shizuko was going home.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was about two hours later when Kirishima finally made it over to Ijuuin's apartment to pick up the pages. He wasn't alone, though; apparently Hiyori had gone over to bring him supper, and when Kirishima mentioned he was going over to see Ijuuin, she had made him bring her with him. She liked the man, even if he was a little eccentric.

Then again, she'd grown up with someone like her father, so Ijuuin wasn't really weird in her book.

"Good evening, sensei!" Hiyori said, a bright smile on her face as she stepped in. The door hadn't been unlocked, so Kirishima had taken initiative and just let them both in. When Hiyori saw the man was slumped over his work desk, she frowned and walked over to him. "Sensei?" She continually poked his temple. "Is he dead?"

"No, just heart-broken," Kirishima said, having a feeling he knew what Shizuko was so pissed-off about. He wasn't so stupid that he was going to fall for the excuse the man had given him about not feeling well.

For one, Shizuko never got sick.

"Oi," Kirishima said, walking up to Ijuuin for himself once he got his shoes off. Ijuuin let out a long sigh, and Kirishima folded his arms. "I had no idea we were in a shoujo manga. Where are your sparkles, you lazy ass?"

Ijuuin lifted his head from the desk, finally seeming to realize that he had guests. He blinked twice at the girl who was poking him before turning his attention to his main editor. "Ah, good evening, Kirishima-san. My pages are right here." He had to glance around a bit, because apparently his pages weren't right there.

Hiyori giggled and reached over, pulling the cover page from his cheek where it had gotten stuck. "Sensei, you're a sloppy sleeper, you know that?" She reached for a hand towel nearby and started wiping his face, which was covered in a mixture of drool and ink. Ijuuin just let her, failing to tell her that he hadn't actually been sleeping, just thinking. But then, who'd believe him if he said that, right?

"I'll be fine, Hiyo-chan." Ijuuin gave Hiyori one of his heart-melting smiles, still effective even though he looked like he'd just crawled out of a two-day college kegger. When he turned and looked at Kirishima, who was rifling through the pages, he added, "Don't worry, Kirishima-san, everything is there."

"Oh I don't doubt that." Kirishima leaned down and evened out the pages on the one solid place left on Ijuuin's desk before slipping them into his briefcase. "Now, if there's nothing else that needs to occur here, I'll take your pages home with me. There's no way I'm going back into the office after you made me drag my ass out here."

"Father, you're not supposed to swear!" Hiyori frowned as she admonished her father, clenching her fists and trying to look formidable. Kirishima was known to play along with his daughter just so she felt like she was having some influence on his life, but this time, he just sighed and turned.

"I need coffee."

"There's a fresh pot over in the kitchen." Ijuuin was still face-down on his desk, but he deigned to lift his head enough so he could see that Hiyori was still standing by him, looking curious. "Something up, Hiyo-chan?"

She looked thoughtful as she tapped her chin, which Ijuuin had to admit was adorable; Hiyo was getting older, but she was still a tiny little girl, who often wore her hair in pigtails. Pigtails that Yokozawa apparently helped with every morning. There were quite a lot of things you heard in Marukawa that you could blackmail people with when the ones talking thought you were too out of it to listen to them.

"Sensei, did you and Ishi-san have a fight?" she asked suddenly. Ijuuin lifted his head a little more, surprised, and she went on. "Father said that Ishi-san was supposed to bring the pages in, but he called into the office and sounded really mad even though he said he was just sick."

Ijuuin let out a long sigh and finally sat up, tipping back in his office chair and causing the wheels to squeak. "Nope. Everything's fine."

"That's what Father says when he and Oniichan fight, but it's really obvious that it isn't fine." She huffed and turned to her father, who was still over in the kitchen, nursing a cup of black coffee. "Father, tell sensei that he needs to say sorry."

"Don't look at me, as long as he delivers, my paycheck is secured." He held the cup up like he was making some kind of toast before turning away from them.

Hiyori huffed again. "Sensei, you need to say sorry." She frowned and reached up to one of her pigtails, fiddling with it with both hands. "I don't like when people fight. But it's even worse when they don't want to make up. Because that means they might stop caring about each other, right?"

It was at that point that Kirishima finished his coffee, and he wordlessly signaled for Hiyori to follow him back out. She nodded, her face back in a smile as she trailed after her father, asking if he still wanted the meal she'd made for him. By the time he answered, though, they'd both gotten their shoes on and were out the door.

Ijuuin let out a long sigh. He was in no state to grovel. He'd do it in the morning.

xxx

It was about seven o'clock that day when someone came to Shizuko's apartment and buzzed in. He lived in a complex and visitors couldn't access it without permission from one of the tenants, and he was tempted to just let them stand out there, thinking he wasn't home. He really wished he weren't, actually, considering Ijuuin knew where he lived and there was the possibility that the man would come after him.

Shizuko frowned and rolled over on the floor where he had dropped the can of beer he just finished. Well, maybe Ijuuin wouldn't come and find him after he had stormed out. The man was dense, and only cared about his precious Misaki-kun. In this case, it was probably just Kirishima, finally getting fed-up with him not answering his phone and going straight to the source.

If that was the case, he couldn't really afford to ignore his visitor. Kirishima was still the head editor, after all, and if he got pissed-off, Shizuko could probably be demoted down to one of their newbie authors until they couldn't afford to keep him away from Ijuuin any longer. There was a reason the man needed two editors, after all.

"Yes?" he asked when he finally managed to drag himself from the floor and press the button on his apartment's intercom.

Instead of his boss' voice, though, someone else greeted him. Though it wasn't like he didn't know this person as well.

"Ah, Ishi-san?" Takahashi asked, hesitation clear in his voice. "Kirishima-san said this was your apartment number. I hope I'm not bothering you, since you got sick so suddenly."

Shizuko leaned away from the speaker and sighed. Leave it to naïve little Takahashi to actually believe that he was sick. He never did like naïve people. It just made it harder to do things in his job because they'd believe the crock of shit stories authors gave editors in an attempt to get their deadlines extended. "What do you want, Takahashi?" he asked, trying to at least keep his tone even. It wasn't like it was Takahashi's fault that he was feeling like crap.

Except that it totally was.

"Ah, Kirishima-san said you were sick and had to leave work early, so I thought I'd bring you soup." There was a gentle quality to Takahashi's voice that Shizuko didn't think he'd ever heard before. He'd certainly never used it in the office, but then, the office wasn't exactly the place for gentleness. "Can I come in?"

Shizuko just stood there for what had to be ten seconds but felt like ten hours. Finally, when his watch beeped for the hour, he sighed again and nodded to himself. "Come on up, I'll buzz you in."

After he'd let Takahashi in, Shizuko abandoned the intercom and looked at his apartment. It wasn't really dirty or anything, but he hadn't picked up after his meals in a few days, so it was really starting to look like a stereotypical bachelor pad. Add the pack of beer he'd picked up on his way home, and he almost felt ashamed that Takahashi would be seeing his room like this.

Shizuko let out a huff and threw away the takeout containers. The beer stayed, though. He was going to get drunk tonight even if it meant he'd go into the office tomorrow hung-over. It wasn't like he'd look any worse than any of the other editors did during Hell Week.

It took about three minutes for Takahashi to make it from the ground floor to his own, and when Shizuko answered the door, the other man was grinning brightly and holding up an insulated bag. "Good evening, Ishi-san!"

"…good evening, Takahashi." Shizuko stepped back so Takahashi would have room to take off his shoes in the genkan. But also because he was emitting the shiniest, happiest aura Shizuko had ever seen, and he wasn't sure if he could stand it for long. Was this really how Takahashi was outside work?

Rather than dote over Shizuko anymore, though, Takahashi slipped off his shoes and went into the apartment, immediately figuring out where the kitchen was and getting to work. It seemed that Takahashi hadn't actually brought soup, but was going to make it right there and then. Shizuko was about to protest, but for some reason, he stopped.

Takahashi was humming happily there in the kitchen as he went about, figuring things out quicker than it had taken Shizuko. When he first moved into the apartment, it had taken him probably two months before he was sure where everything was and how it worked. Takahashi just had to open a cabinet or glance at an appliance and he somehow got what he wanted or knew what to do.

"…you'd make a good housewife." Shizuko sighed and sat down at his low dining table, folding his legs under himself. He expected Takahashi to be offended by that, but the man just smiled as he went about his work. "…you're a weird kid, you know that?"

Takahashi glanced back at him, blinking a couple times as he chopped up the carrots expertly. Shizuko was ready to wince when the man inevitably cut himself, but it never happened. "Well, I like doing housework. I clean and cook for Usagi-san instead of paying rent."

Shizuko frowned where he had his head on the table. He knew that "Usagi-san" was Usami-sensei from context, but this was pretty much more about Takahashi's personal life than he needed to know. He lifted his head and pushed back his chair, not even realizing how much like Ijuuin he looked when he did that. "So you pretty much are a housewife. Why'd he let you out of the kitchen, huh?"

"Ah, I didn't want to waste my college degree." Takahashi couldn't have been less offended by the obviously baited remark if he tried. "Besides, eventually I… kind of want to live on my own. Or at least be able to. So not getting a job would be counterproductive to that."

There was silence between them as Takahashi went about cooking the soup, and Shizuko put an elbow on the table and cupped his chin in his hand. A lot of thoughts went through his head, most of which he wouldn't be saying. Finally, he took a breath and spoke. "…why are you here? I know it's not because you thought I was sick." Because he quite obviously wasn't. Unless Takahashi was even more dense than Shizuko originally thought.

"I just…" Takahashi paused at that and frowned, staring down at the slowly-warming soup. "I… guess I wanted to make sure you weren't going to tell anyone about me and Usag- er, Usami-sensei." He blushed a little when he realized that he'd been calling the man by his nickname for him. "I got the job at Marukawa on my own merits, after working really hard. If people thought it was because I live with him then…"

Shizuko sighed and tipped his chair back a little more. "I'm not going to tell." He didn't even have to think about his answer. He wasn't a gossip.

Takahashi's face lit-up at that, and he went back to paying attention to the soup. "Thank you, Ishi-san!" He was humming to himself. "Ah and… you can call me Misaki-san, if you want…"

Apparently he thought they were friends now.

"…fine." Shizuko yawned and put a hand over his mouth, putting his chair back on all four of its legs. "You can call me Ishi-sama."

Misaki dropped the wooden spoon he was stirring the soup with and reared around to face the other man, looking unsure how to respond to that.

"It's a joke. Geeze." Maybe Shizuko and a sense of humor just didn't match.

xxx

Misaki, Shizuko discovered, was a really, really big lightweight when it came to alcohol. He'd barely had one-and-a-half beers and he was passed-out on the floor, a position Shizuko found him in when he finished his shower and went back into the living room. The fact that he was still there was weird, for one. But Shizuko had no idea what to do in this kind of situation.

So he did the only thing he could do: he dragged Misaki onto his couch, tossed a blanket at him, and went to go to sleep in his own bedroom. He was too tired to bother figuring out how to get him home, especially considering the kid was drunk. Misaki's cell phone went off as Shizuko was heading to his own bed, but he ignored it. He doubted it was important.


End file.
